User-assisted robotic control systems

ABSTRACT

Exemplary embodiments relate to user-assisted robotic control systems, user interfaces for remote control of robotic systems, vision systems in robotic control systems, and modular grippers for use by robotic systems. Systems, methods, apparatuses and computer-readable media instructions are disclosed for interactions with and control of robotic systems, in particular, pick and place systems using soft robotic actuators to grasp, move and release target objects.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application claims priority to U.S. Provisional ApplicationSer. No. 62/478,775, filed on Mar. 30, 2017 and entitled “User-AssistedRobotic Control Systems.” The aforementioned application is incorporatedherein by reference in its entirety.

FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE

The disclosure relates generally to the field of robotics andparticularly to novel systems for controlling a robotic system.Exemplary embodiments may be employed in a variety of applications,including (but not limited to) warehouse management, order fulfillment,packaging, recycling, etc.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1A-D depict exemplary soft robotic actuators that may be usedaccording to exemplary embodiments;

FIG. 2A-G depict an exemplary robotic system architecture according toexemplary embodiments;

FIG. 3A-H depict a user interface according to exemplary embodiments;

FIG. 4A-D depict calibration of an exemplary system according toexemplary embodiments;

FIG. 5A-D depict a portion of the exemplary servo-pneumatic controlsystem in unactuated and actuated states, respectively, according toexemplary embodiments;

FIG. 6A-P depict components and views of a modular gripper according toexemplary embodiments;

FIG. 7 is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary computing devicesuitable for use with exemplary embodiments; and

FIG. 8 depicts an exemplary communication architecture.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The present invention will now be described more with reference to theaccompanying drawings, in which preferred embodiments of the inventionare shown. The invention, however, may be embodied in many differentforms and should not be construed as being limited to the embodimentsset forth herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided so that thisdisclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey thescope of the invention to those skilled in the art. In the drawings,like numbers refer to like elements throughout.

I. INTRODUCTION TO SOFT ROBOTIC GRIPPERS

Embodiments described herein may be used in connection with hard roboticgrippers (e.g., grippers made of a relatively hard or relativelynon-deformable material, such as metal, hard plastic, etc.). In manycases, however, soft robotic grippers may provide improvements over hardrobotic grippers. The description below provides background informationon soft robotics.

Conventional robotic grippers or actuators may be expensive andincapable of operating in certain environments where the uncertainty andvariety in the weight, size and shape of the object being handled hasprevented automated solutions from working in the past. The presentapplication describes applications of novel soft robotic actuators thatare adaptive, inexpensive, lightweight, customizable, and simple to use.

Soft robotic actuators may be formed of elastomeric materials, such asrubber, or thin walls of plastic arranged in an accordion structure thatis configured to unfold, stretch, twist, and/or bend under pressure, orother suitable relatively soft materials. They may be created, forexample, by molding one or more pieces of the elastomeric material intoa desired shape. Soft robotic actuators may include a hollow interiorthat can be filled with an inflation fluid, such as air, water, orsaline to pressurize, inflate, and/or actuate the actuator. Uponactuation, the shape or profile of the actuator changes. In the case ofan accordion-style actuator (described in more detail below), actuationmay cause the actuator to curve or straighten into a predeterminedtarget shape. One or more intermediate target shapes between a fullyunactuated shape and a fully actuated shape may be achieved by partiallyinflating the actuator. Alternatively, or in addition, the actuator maybe actuated using a vacuum to remove inflation fluid from the actuatorand thereby change the degree to which the actuator bends, twists,and/or extends.

Actuation may also allow the actuator to exert a force on an object,such as an object being grasped or pushed. However, unlike traditionalhard robotic actuators, soft actuators maintain adaptive properties whenactuated such that the soft actuator can partially or fully conform tothe shape of the object being grasped. They can also deflect uponcollision with an object, which may be particularly relevant whenpicking an object off of a pile or out of a bin, since the actuator islikely to collide with neighboring objects in the pile that are not thegrasp target, or the sides of the bin. Furthermore, the amount of forceapplied can be spread out over a larger surface area in a controlledmanner because the material can easily deform. In this way, soft roboticactuators can grip objects without damaging them.

Moreover, soft robotic actuators allow for types of motions orcombinations of motions (including bending, twisting, extending, andcontracting) that can be difficult to achieve with traditional hardrobotic actuators.

FIGS. 1A-1D depict exemplary soft robotic actuators. More specifically,FIG. 1A depicts a side view of a portion of a soft robotic actuator.FIG. 1B depicts the portion from FIG. 1A from the top. FIG. 1C depicts aside view of a portion of the soft robotic actuator including a pumpthat may be manipulated by a user. FIG. 1D depicts an alternativeembodiment for the portion depicted in FIG. 1C.

An actuator may be a soft robotic actuator 100, as depicted in FIG. 1A,which is inflatable with an inflation fluid such as air, water, orsaline. The inflation fluid may be provided via an inflation device 120through a fluidic connection 118.

The actuator 100 may be in an uninflated state in which a limited amountof inflation fluid is present in the actuator 100 at substantially thesame pressure as the ambient environment. The actuator 100 may also bein a fully inflated state in which a predetermined amount of inflationfluid is present in the actuator 100 (the predetermined amountcorresponding to a predetermined maximum force to be applied by theactuator 100 or a predetermined maximum pressure applied by theinflation fluid on the actuator 100). The actuator 100 may also be in afull vacuum state, in which all fluid is removed from the actuator 100,or a partial vacuum state, in which some fluid is present in theactuator 100 but at a pressure that is less than the ambient pressure.Furthermore, the actuator 100 may be in a partially inflated state inwhich the actuator 100 contains less than the predetermined amount ofinflation fluid that is present in the fully inflated state, but morethan no (or very limited) inflation fluid.

In the inflated state, the actuator 100 may exhibit a tendency to curvearound a central axis as shown in FIG. 1A. For ease of discussion,several directions are defined herein. An axial direction passes throughthe central axis around which the actuator 100 curves, as shown in FIG.1B. A radial direction extends in a direction perpendicular to the axialdirection, in the direction of the radius of the partial circle formedby the inflated actuator 100. A circumferential direction extends alonga circumference of the inflated actuator 100.

In the inflated state, the actuator 100 may exert a force in the radialdirection along the inner circumferential edge of the actuator 100. Forexample, the inner side of the distal tip of the actuator 100 exerts aforce inward, toward the central axis, which may be leveraged to allowthe actuator 100 to grasp an object (potentially in conjunction with oneor more additional actuators 100). The soft robotic actuator 100 mayremain relatively conformal when inflated, due to the materials used andthe general construction of the actuator 100.

The actuator 100 may be made of one or more elastomeric materials thatallow for a relatively soft or conformal construction. Depending on theapplication, the elastomeric materials may be selected from a group offood-safe, biocompatible, or medically safe, FDA-approved materials. Theactuator 100 may be manufactured in a Good Manufacturing Process(“GMP”)-capable facility.

The actuator 100 may include a base 102 that is substantially flat(although various amendments or appendages may be added to the base 102in order to improve the actuator's gripping and/or bendingcapabilities). The base 102 may form a gripping surface that grasps atarget object.

The actuator 100 may include one or more accordion extensions 104. Theaccordion extensions 104 allow the actuator 100 to bend or flex wheninflated, and help to define the shape of the actuator 100 when in aninflated state. The accordion extensions 104 include a series of ridges106 and troughs 108. The size of the accordion extensions 104 and theplacement of the ridges 106 and troughs 108 can be varied to obtaindifferent shapes or extension profiles.

Although the exemplary actuator of FIGS. 1A-1D is depicted in a “C” oroval shape when deployed, one of ordinary skill in the art willrecognize that the present invention is not so limited. By changing theshape of the body of the actuator 100, or the size, position, orconfiguration of the accordion extensions 104, different sizes, shapes,and configurations may be achieved. Moreover, varying the amount ofinflation fluid provided to the actuator 100 allows the retractor totake on one or more intermediate sizes or shapes between the un-inflatedstate and the inflated state. Thus, an individual actuator 100 can bescalable in size and shape by varying inflation amount, and an actuatorcan be further scalable in size and shape by replacing one actuator 100with another actuator 100 having a different size, shape, orconfiguration.

The actuator 100 extends from a proximal end 112 to a distal end 110.The proximal end 112 connects to an interface 114. The interface 114allows the actuator 100 to be releasably coupled to a hub or otherrobotic components. The interface 114 may be made of a medically safematerial, such as polyethylene, polypropylene, polycarbonate,polyetheretherketone, acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (“ABS”), or acetalhomopolymer. The interface 114 may be releasably coupled to one or bothof the actuator 100 and the flexible tubing 118. The interface 114 mayhave a port for connecting to the actuator 100. Different interfaces 114may have different sizes, numbers, or configurations of actuator ports,in order to accommodate larger or smaller actuators, different numbersof actuators, or actuators in different configurations.

The actuator 100 may be inflated with an inflation fluid supplied froman inflation device 120 through a fluidic connection such as flexibletubing 118. The interface 114 may include or may be attached to a valve116 for allowing fluid to enter the actuator 100 but preventing thefluid from exiting the actuator (unless the valve is opened). Theflexible tubing 118 may also or Alternatively, attach to an inflatorvalve 124 at the inflation device 120 for regulating the supply ofinflation fluid at the location of the inflation device 120.

The flexible tubing 118 may also include an actuator connectioninterface 122 for releasably connecting to the interface 114 at one endand the inflation device 120 at the other end. By separating the twoparts of the actuator connection interface 122, different inflationdevices 120 may be connected to different interfaces 114 and/oractuators 100.

The inflation fluid may be, for example, air or saline. In the case ofair, the inflation device 120 may include a hand-operated bulb orbellows for supplying ambient air. In the case of saline, the inflationdevice 120 may include a syringe or other appropriate fluid deliverysystem. Alternatively, or in addition, the inflation device 120 mayinclude a compressor or pump for supplying the inflation fluid.

The inflation device 120 may include a fluid supply 126 for supplying aninflation fluid. For example, the fluid supply 126 may be a reservoirfor storing compressed air, liquefied or compressed carbon dioxide,liquefied or compressed nitrogen or saline, or may be a vent forsupplying ambient air to the flexible tubing 118.

The inflation device 120 further includes a fluid delivery device 128,such as a pump or compressor, for supplying inflation fluid from thefluid supply 126 to the actuator 100 through the flexible tubing 118.The fluid delivery device 128 may be capable of supplying fluid to theactuator 100 or withdrawing the fluid from the actuator 100. The fluiddelivery device 128 may be powered by electricity. To supply theelectricity, the inflation device 120 may include a power supply 130,such as a battery or an interface to an electrical outlet.

The power supply 130 may also supply power to a control device 132. Thecontrol device 132 may allow a user to control the inflation ordeflation of the actuator, e.g. through one or more actuation buttons134 (or alternative devices, such as a switch). The control device 132may include a controller 136 for sending a control signal to the fluiddelivery device 128 to cause the fluid delivery device 128 to supplyinflation fluid to, or withdraw inflation fluid from, the actuator 100.

II. USER-ASSISTED ROBOTIC CONTROL SYSTEMS

Exemplary embodiments encompass several aspects of robotic controlsystems. In particular, some embodiments relate to an overallarchitecture including a “human in the loop” form of supervisorycontrol. Such a system may provide hardware and software to allow a userto interact with one or multiple robotic systems either locally orremotely, and may include, separately or in combination, improvements inrobot control and in analysis systems for performing tasks such as dataanalytics and data mining, and other improvements.

Further embodiments, which may be used separately or in conjunction withother embodiments described herein, relate to user interface design forrobotic control systems. The exemplary user interfaces described hereinmay provide efficient and simple procedures for interacting with one ormultiple robotic systems.

Further embodiments, which may be used separately or in conjunction withother embodiments described herein, relate to improved visualization andthree-dimensional locating and maneuvering, as well as camera and robotcalibration, and other improvements.

Still further, some embodiments (which may be used separately or inconjunction with other embodiments described herein) relate to modularrobotic grippers that allow different types or configurations ofgrippers to be rapidly deployed in connection with a robotic system.

The overall architecture is next described with reference to FIGS.2A-2G. Unless otherwise noted, individual improvements described hereinmay be used separately or in combination with any other improvements.

A. Architecture Overview

FIG. 2A is a block diagram depicting an overview of a robotic controlarchitecture 200. Although the exemplary architecture of FIG. 2Aincludes particular elements in particular arrangements orconfigurations, other elements, arrangements, and combinations may beemployed without deviating from the scope of the present invention.

According to exemplary embodiments, a user may interact with anelectronic processing device 202 (e.g., a desktop computer, a laptopcomputer, a mobile phone, a tablet, a special-purpose kiosk, etc.). Insome embodiments, the electronic device 202 may be provided with a touchscreen or other form of haptic input for allowing the user to interactwith an interface via touches and/or gestures. In other embodiments, theelectronic device 202 may be provided with some other form of input,such as a keyboard, a mouse, a video camera or instrumented glove forgesture-based control, a microphone and associated logic for performingvoice control, etc. Interactions with the electronic device may be inthe form of various control directives. A control directive may be anyinput from a user to the electronic device 202, for example, and withoutlimitation, a touch on a touch sensitive display with a finger or astylus, the use of an input device to select a user interface elementsuch as an icon or a menu item, an audio command, a motion-capturedinput, a motion of the electronic device, and so forth.

Using the electronic device 202, the user is able to interact with arobotic system or multiple different robotic systems. Preferably, theelectronic device 202 allows the user to interact, via controldirectives, with multiple (e.g., three or more) robotic pick-and-placestations simultaneously. An exemplary electronic device for controllingrobotic systems is depicted in FIG. 2B below, and further described inthe next section relating to device interfaces.

The electronic device 202 may include a wired or wireless networkinterface for connecting to a network 204, such as the Internet. Throughthe network connection, the user may be capable of interacting withrobotic systems in a remote location. For example, a user in their homeor an office may control robotic systems in a remote warehouse,fulfillment center, or other location anywhere that is accessible to thenetwork 204.

According to some embodiments, a human user may be supplemented by, ormay be replaced by, artificially intelligent control logic. Accordingly,the system may be readily upgradeable as technology advances. Forexample, initially a user may fully control the grasp actions of therobotic system, including designating where the robotic gripper shoulddeploy in order to grasp a target item.

As visualization and object recognition technology improves, the systemmay recognize and/or differentiate between different target objects,allowing the user to simply tap or click on a target object to selectit. The gripper may then automatically deploy in order to grasp thetarget. In such a scenario, a human user may still make decisions as towhich targets to grasp, in which order, and where to release the targetobjects. As artificially intelligent controls improve further, machinelogic may fully replace a human user in making these decisions.

The network 204 may be the Internet, a public network, a privatenetwork, or any combination thereof. Examples of network architecturesare described in more detail in connection with FIG. 8.

Using the network, the electronic device 202 may interact with one ormore local (e.g., local to the robotic system) processors 210-1, 210-2 .. . 210-n, where n is a positive integer. The local processors 210 maybe in the form of any suitable computing device, such as a desktopcomputer, a server, a mini- or micro-computer, a laptop, a tablet, amobile device, special-purpose hardware, etc. In some embodiments, eachpick-and-place station 220 may be associated with one or more localprocessors 210 that are unique to the pick-and-place station (e.g., notshared among pick-and-place stations). In other embodiments, one or morelocal 210 processors may be associated with multiple pick-and-placestations, e.g. local processor 210-2 may be associated with pick andplace stations 220-2 and 220-m.

The local processors 210 may receive incoming commands from the user'selectronic device 202 and may relay appropriate control instructions orcommands to the robotic system. Moreover, the local processors 210 mayreceive information from the robotic system (including from any sensorsdeployed in connection with the robotic system), and other components ofthe pick-and-place station such as the camera, the conveyor belts, thebins, etc. Information from the pick-and-place station 220 may betransmitted to the user's electronic device 202 to facilitate control ofthe robotic system.

Furthermore, information from the local processor, the robotic systems,and/or the user device may be transmitted to a remote processor,depicted as a cloud backend 240 in FIG. 2A. The cloud backend 240 may beany suitable electronic device, such as a desktop computer, a server, amini- or micro-computer, a laptop, a tablet, a mobile device,special-purpose hardware, etc. The cloud backend 240 may collect dataregarding deployed systems, and may use the data for a number ofpurposes.

For example, the cloud backend 240 may collect snapshots from a camera222 deployed in the pick-and-place station 220-1 (e.g., at predeterminedintervals, or when predetermined events such as possible failureconditions, occur). The cloud backend 240 may further receiveinformation from sensors deployed in conjunction with the pick station220-1 and/or robotic sensors, such as from object range and depthsensors, grip quality detection and sensors, information aboutpneumatic/hydraulic flow rates and pressures, and so forth. The cloudbackend 240 may also be provided with further information (automaticallyor manually), including failure rates of actuators, grippers, and otherrobotic systems, maintenance schedules and identified problems, softwarecrashes, etc.

The cloud backend 240 may perform data mining and analytics on thecollected data. Based on the collected data, the cloud backend 240 mayrecommend changes to maintenance or replacement schedules, may suggestrepairs or optimizations, and/or may automatically make (or mayrecommend) changes or improvements to the software control systems ofthe local processors 210 and/or the user's electronic device 202, amongother possibilities.

For example, if the cloud backend 240 determines, based on one or moregrasp detection sensors and/or range sensors, that the current roboticcontrol software is not descending to an appropriate depth beforeattempting a grasp by closing a robotic gripper 234, the cloud backend240 may transmit an update or patch that changes the initial depth atwhich a robotic arm 232 deploys. Similarly, the cloud backend 240 maytransmit changes to the gripper orientation, the motion path, the graspforce, etc.

The update may be applied locally (e.g., to change the behavior of onerobot) or globally (e.g., to change the behavior of a group of robots, afleet of robots, or all robots accessible to the cloud backend 240). Forexample, if 10 robots in a fleet of 10,000 attempted to grip a newobject with varied success, then based on these teachings the entirefleet of 10,000 received an update that allowed all of the robots tosuccessfully grasp the item.

To these ends and others, the cloud backend 240 may further transmitover-the-air updates to the local processors 210 to upgrade or repairthe control software for the robotic systems. The cloud backend 240 mayalso transmit over-the-air updates to the user's electronic device 202for purposes of software upgrade or repair, among other possibilities.

As noted above, the local processor(s) 210 may be associated with one ormore pick-and-place stations 220 assigned to a particular user. Forexample, a given location, such as a warehouse or fulfillment center,may include many pick-and-place stations, with particular stations orgroups of stations assigned to different users. As used herein, a“pick-and-place station”—or simply “pick station”—may represent manydifferent applications where a robot arm and gripper manipulatesobjects, such as (but not limited to) bin-picking for warehouses,produce packaging, machining, inspections, etc. The following are but afew examples of applications for the technology described herein:

-   -   Picking a casting of a metal part, for example a partially        finished brass valve, from a pile and placing it in a fixture        for machining    -   Picking a melon from a pile and placing it in a peeler chunker        machine.    -   Picking a single piece of plastic of a particular polymer type        (e.g. polyethylene, polypropylene, polyethylene terephthalate,        etc.) out of a pile of mixed plastics at a recycling center and        placing it in a bin of just that plastic type.    -   Picking a piece of fruit from a tree and placing it in a crate.

A simplified example of a pick station is depicted in FIGS. 2C and 2D.

According to exemplary embodiments, each pick station, e.g. pick station220-1, may be associated with a robotic system, a source bin 226 inwhich target objects 229 are delivered to the pick station 220-1 to begrasped by the robotic system, a target bin 228 into which targetobjects 229 are delivered by the robotic system, and one or more cameras222 (e.g., one or more cameras deployed above the source bin and/or thetarget bin). The source bin 226 and/or target bin 228 may be deliveredto the pick station by a person or by means of conveyor belts 224 orother suitable devices.

One of ordinary skill in the art will understand that otherconfigurations for a pick station are possible. For example, the targetobjects may not initially be deployed in a source bin, but could bedelivered directly on the conveyor or in another manner that does notrely on conveyors. In one example, the target objects may be deployed ona mobile shelving system, where an entire shelf is moved to the pickstation. Similarly, the target object may be delivered to a receptacleor other recipient location that does not include a target bin. Thecamera could be mounted to the side or below the container. Many otherconfigurations are also possible within the scope of the presentinvention.

In addition to a camera, other sensors may be present to detect objectsin a bin or to detect objects as they enter or leave a bin. Such sensorsmay include but are not limited to weight sensors (load cell orforce/torque sensor), accelerometers or other vibration sensors,three-dimensional depth cameras, photoelectric break beams,spectrometers, hyperspectral imagers, and laser range scanners.

The robotic system may include a base 230, to which a robotic arm 232including one or more joints is attached. The base 230 and/or arm 232may support pneumatic and/or hydraulic connections for actuating a softrobotic gripper 234, and/or electrical and/or data connections forsupporting sensors and other devices deployed in connection with the arm232 or gripper 234.

The gripper 234 may include a hub for connecting the gripper 234 to therobotic arm 232. One or more actuators (e.g., soft robotic actuators)may be attached to the hub to form the gripper. The hub may includeconnections, such as hydraulic or pneumatic connections, to deliveractuation fluid to the actuator(s), either separately or as a group.

The hub may further include mounting points for sensors and otherdevices, and may include electrical and/or data connections for poweringand communicating with the devices. For example, the hub may include arange sensor deployed in a location (e.g., the bottom of the hub,between the actuators) that allows the system to determine a range to atarget object to be grasped. The hub may further include a camera tosense and visualize characteristics of a grasped object prior to,during, and after attempting a grasp of that object. The hub may furtherinclude an accelerometer or force detection sensor to determine swaycharacteristics, momentum, or inertia information relating to a graspedobject (thereby allowing the system to adjust the manner in which theobject is held or moved to improve holding or transportcharacteristics). Further embodiments may include one or more grasp orforce sensors to determine how well or with how much force a gripper isholding a target object. The grasp or force sensors may be mounted on ordeployed in the hub and/or actuators.

In some embodiments, each actuator may be associated with a hub slidablyattached to one or more rails that permit the actuators to move relativeto each other. The rail may be attached to the robotic arm. The hubs maybe manually adjusted along the rail, or may be automatically adjustedvia a motor, pneumatics, hydraulics, etc. Accordingly, the spacingbetween the actuators and/or the configuration of actuators with respectto each other may be adjusted as needed. Exemplary grippers suitable foruse with exemplary embodiments are further described in the section onmodular grippers, below.

In some embodiments, more than one hub may be connected to each other byrails, so as to support simultaneous grasping of multiple objects. Theactuators associated with each hub may be controlled independently or asa single unit. The relative positions of the hubs may be adjusted alongthe rails, either manually or automatically via motor, pneumatics,hydraulics, etc.

Target objects may be delivered to the pick station in a source bin. Thesource bin may be any receptacle suitable for conveying items to thepick station. An example of an interior view of a source bin includingseveral target items is depicted in FIG. 2E. It is noted that, althoughparticular examples are described in connection with a “bin,” this termmay encompass many types of receptacles, such as boxes, cases, etc.

The source bin may be delivered to a location accessible to the roboticsystem, e.g. by a conveyor system. The robotic system may grasp one ormore items in the source bin and deliver the items to a target location,such as a target bin that is also located in a position accessible tothe robotic arm. The source bin may be moved away from the roboticsystem when empty and/or when the relevant items have been removed fromthe source bin, allowing the source bin to be replaced by a new sourcebin with new target items. Similarly, when the target bin is full or hasreceived sufficient relevant items, the target bin may be moved awayand/or replaced with a new target bin.

One or more cameras or other visualization sensors may be mounted in alocation in which the contents of the source bin and/or target bin maybe viewed. For example, camera(s) may be mounted on a gantry above thesource bin and/or target bin. Examples of camera systems are depicted inFIGS. 2F-2G.

B. Exemplary Interfaces

The cameras and/or other sensors may be connected (wired or wirelessly)to the local processors 210, which may relay a view of the camera (orother sensor data) to the cloud backend 240 and/or the user's electronicdevice 202. An interface on the user device 202 may display the cameraview, as shown in FIG. 3A.

The interface 300 may include one or more icons or other interactiveelements for configuring or controlling the robotic system. Interactiveelements may be provided for other operations, for example, and withoutlimitation, a configuration operation, a calibration operation, agrasping operation, a force-setting operation, a flutter operation, arearranging operation, an actuator sequencing operation, a movingoperation, an object selection operation, or a stirring operation.Selecting an interactive element via a control directive may cause acontrol command corresponding to the interactive element to betransmitted to the robotic system in a selected pick and place station.For some operations, further input may be needed before a controlcommand is transmitted, in which case additional user interface elementsand/or interactive elements may be presented to obtain the input.

For example, the depicted example includes a configuration/calibrationicon 302 in the bottom left corner that may correspond to aconfiguration or calibration operation. Interacting with theconfiguration/calibration icon 302 may cause one or more menu options tobe displayed in the interface.

One such menu item may be an option to perform calibration of the pickstation, which may include calibrating the camera view in order toprovide a canonical view of the source and/or target bin. Such acalibration procedure is described in the visualization section below.In some embodiments, the user may also calibrate the camera view bytouching a location (such as the center of an object) on atouch-sensitive display and dragging the haptic contact to re-orient thedisplay.

The main display of the interface may show a view from one or more ofthe cameras at a particular pick-and-place station. For example, thecamera may default to a camera over a source bin. As noted above,multiple pick stations may be accessible and controllable from a givenuser device. In order to switch between pick stations, the user may, forexample, execute a swipe gesture on a touch-sensitive display to movebetween cameras and/or pick stations. In another example, the user mayselect an interactive element on the display that may be visible, as anicon or button element, or else hidden, as a region of the display suchas one of the four edges of the display. Still further, the interfacemay display multiple pick station views on a single screen (e.g., in atiled or cascaded view).

Switching between views of different pick stations may also transfercontrol from one robotic system to another. For example, if theinterface initially displays an image from a first pick station, usercommands issued through the electronic device 202 may be issued to therobotic system at the first pick station. If the user then swipes toswitch the view to a second pick station, commands issued via theelectronic device 202 may be issued to the robotic system at the secondpick station.

In some embodiments, the interface may be capable of displaying views ofthe destination bins in addition to views of the source bins. This mayallow, for example, for a user to designate a particular location towhich a grasped object should be delivered. In another example, the usermay designate an orientation for the target object. Alternatively, or inaddition, the interface may display a view of a source bin, and allowthe user to indicate which objects to grasp from the source bin. Thesystem may then automatically deliver the grasp target to apredetermined target location (such as an expected location of a targetbin).

In either case, there may be multiple target locations accessible at agiven pick station. Two or more icons or interactive elements maybepresented on the interface to allow the user to choose between differenttarget locations. For example, the embodiment depicted in FIG. 3Aincludes three icons 304-1, 304-2, and 304-3 (receptacles with downwardfacing arrows) to indicate different target locations. In this example,selecting one of the target location icons after selecting a grippertarget may deliver the grasped object to a destination locationassociated with the selected icon.

If the user is enabled to select a particular target location (e.g., viaa camera view of a destination bin or receptacle), the user may indicatea target location through, for example, a tap or click at a location atwhich the target object is to be placed.

Alternatively, or in addition, the system may allow a user to specify alocation or a pattern that the robot should employ when delivering grasptargets in the future and/or a sequence or ordering for placing theobjects in the designated positions. For example, the target receptaclemay be an egg carton or apple carrier, in which objects are placed in agrid configuration. The user may select multiple points on the interfaceto designate locations in a grid into which object should be placed. Therobotic system may first deliver an object to the first grid location,then the next target object may be delivered to a second grid location,etc. When all grid locations have been filled, the conveyor associatedwith the destination receptacle may move the filled receptacle out ofthe way and replace it with a new receptacle, and the process may berepeated.

Optionally, the system may optimize or normalize the user'sselections—for example, if the user selects points in a 4×4 grid, witheach point separated by an average of three inches, the system mayequalize the distance between the points so that they are evenly spaced.The system may also, or alternatively, auto-complete a grid or otherpattern if the system recognizes that the user has entered more than apredetermined number of points corresponding to the grid or pattern.

The user may interact with the camera view to indicate where and/or howa given object should be grasped. The user may indicate, through theinterface, where the edges of a gripper target are located. The roboticsystem may then deploy the grasper to the targeted location and attemptto close the grasper around the indicated edges.

Generally, the gripper target edges may be indicated in the interfaceusing an exemplary gripper display element, as depicted in FIG. 3B.

Referring to the top view in FIG. 3B, the interface element may includegripper target 328 visual elements the represent the ends of theactuators in the gripper. A location of the gripper targets 328 maycorrespond to a location where the gripper will position the actuatorsat the beginning of a grasping operation of a physical target object.The interface element may include a line 330 representing an axis of thegripper (e.g., an axis along which the actuators are arranged).

The interface element may also include one or more lines or tick marksalong the axis line representing a minimum or maximum extent 322 towhich the grippers can deploy (e.g., the minimum or maximum spacingaccessible to the actuators, which may include spacing accessible bynegative inflation of the actuators). A center point 324 of the axis maybe marked between the marks indicating the minimum or maximum extent(s)of the actuators. The center point may be indicated by a point, a tickmark, a dashed line, etc.

In some embodiments, the minimum/maximum extent may be theminimum/maximum extent accessible with the grippers in their currentconfiguration; for example, if the grippers are mounted on rails, theminimum/maximum extent may reflect the minimum/maximum distance to whichthe grippers can be extended given their current spacing along therails. In other embodiments, the minimum/maximum extent may be theminimum/maximum extent accessible by the grippers if the grippers arereconfigured (e.g., the minimum/maximum extent accessible along therails, even if the actuators are not currently deployed at theirminimum/maximum spacing). The former embodiment may be useful insituations in which the actuators are manually adjustable along therails, potentially requiring that a user interact with the roboticsystem to physically move the actuators. The latter embodiment may bewell suited to applications where the actuators can be automaticallymoved along the rails by means, e.g., of a motor, pneumatic, orhydraulic system.

In still further embodiments, the system may indicate both theminimum/maximum extent that is currently accessible and theminimum/maximum extent that would be possible with reconfiguration. Forexample, the system may mark the currently accessible minimum/maximumextent with a solid line and/or a line in a first color or shade, andmay mark the minimum/maximum possible extent with a further dashed line326 and/or a line in a second color or shade. The further dashed orshaded line 326 may extend along the axis and may terminate in twofurther marks indicating the minimum/maximum possible extent.

According to exemplary embodiments, a user may interact with a hapticdisplay through a one-finger or two-finger gesture to indicate where therobotic system should deploy the actuators of the gripper. The usergesture may further include more than two fingers to indicate deploymentof the actuators, especially in embodiments that include more than twoactuators. The interface may display a number of gripper targets 328corresponding to the location at which the actuators (in someembodiments, the location at which the distal tips of the actuators)will be deployed. The interface may also include an indication 330 ofthe spacing between the gripper targets (e.g., a quantitativeindication).

FIG. 3C depicts an exemplary gripper display element imposed on a cameraview to enable a user to set the gripper targets, for example, for agrasping operation.

In a one-finger embodiment, a user may make initial haptic contact witha touch screen (or may otherwise indicate an initial contact point, e.g.using a mouse or other input option). In one example, this point mayserve as the initial gripper target. The user may then drag the initialinput to a second location, which may serve as a second gripper target.The indicator on the interface may reorient and/or reconfigure itself asthe user moves the initial contact. Alternatively, the user's initialcontact may identify a center point at which the user intends to deploythe gripper (e.g., corresponding to the center mark identified above).When the user drags the initial contact, the amount of distance draggedmay identify a spacing between the gripper targets.

In a two-finger embodiment, a user's initial haptic contact with theinterface may identify the location of the first gripper target, whereasa second haptic contact may identify the location of the second grippertarget. In another embodiment, the first contact may identify the centerlocation and the second contact may identify the location of one of thegripper targets—the other gripper target location may be inferred basedon the distance between the center point and the explicitly specifiedgripper target.

In either case, the system may optionally displace the displayed grippertargets by a predetermined distance away from the location of the hapticcontact, if the contact is specified through a touch display. This mayallow the user to view the gripper targets on the display without thegripper targets being obstructed by the user's hand or fingers. Infurther embodiments, the system may allow a user to zoom in on theinterface in order to provide for more fine-grained selection of grippertargets.

In some embodiments, the interface may enforce a limit such that theuser is not permitted to move the gripper targets beyond the indicatedmaximum extents. For example, once the user moves the gripper targets tothe indicated maximum extents, further movement beyond the indicatedmaximums may not result in further movement of the gripper targets(e.g., the gripper targets may “stick” to the maximum extents, as shownin FIG. 3D below).

In other embodiments, the interface may allow a user to set grippertargets that extend beyond the maximum extent indicated on the interfaceelement. Due to the deformable nature of soft robotic grippers, the softactuators may be capable of making sufficient contact with an object(using a grasp surface of the actuator) such that the gripper is capableof grasping an object larger in size than the maximum extent.Accordingly, the system may attempt to grasp the target object asclosely as possible at the gripper target points indicated by the user;if a suitably strong grip cannot be achieved after a predeterminednumber of attempts, then the system may abort the attempt. Optionally,the system may attempt to stir the bin and/or otherwise rearrange thecontents of the bin in an attempt to present a more graspable face ofthe target object to the user; such techniques are described in moredetail below.

When a user attempts to set gripper targets that extend beyond themaximum extent, the interface may indicate that the user is attemptingto do so and may indicate the amount of extension beyond the maximumextent that is being requested. The interface may, for example, set thegripper targets beyond the lines for the maximum extent and indicate theamount of the additional extension requested, e.g., by dashed lines orlines of a different color, as indicated by the bottom drawing in FIG.3B and in FIG. 3E.

An alternative interface element is depicted in FIGS. 3F-3G. In theseexamples, the circles 334 represent locations on the haptic interfacethat a user has touched (i.e., haptic contacts), whereas the roundedbars 332 indicate the grasp capabilities for the tool. Depending onwhether the user is attempting to grip below the minimum graspcapabilities of the tool (FIG. 3F) or beyond the maximum graspcapabilities of the tool (FIG. 3G), the rounded bars may move to therespective minimum/maximum locations to show where the actuators willactually grasp the object. When an attempted grasp is in-bounds (FIG.311), the rounded bars may fall directly on top of the haptic contactpoints to indicate that the gripper will deploy the actuators at therequested locations.

Optionally, after initially setting the gripper targets, the user mayadjust the gripper targets by interacting with the interface (e.g.,selecting one or more gripper targets and moving them, moving the centerpoint, etc.).

The camera view may be a two-dimensional view, and accordingly the usermay be capable of designating the initial placement of the actuators intwo dimensions (e.g., the x/y dimensions). However, the robotic systemmay operate in three-dimensional space. The robotic system may move theactuators to the designated x/y location along a path in the z-direction(as described in more detail in the visualization section, below) untilthe gripper is in close proximity to the target object. For example, thegripper may be provided with a range sensor that may detect a distanceto a target to be grasped. When the sensor indicates that the object isin the vicinity of the gripper, the gripper may be actuated to grip theobject.

In some embodiments, the center point of the gripper may be movedtowards the x/y location of the center point indicated on the display.The actuators may initially be unactuated. Alternatively, if the gripperspread indicated on the interface would require negativeactuation/inflation in order to be achieved, the actuators may be fullynegatively inflated or partially negatively inflated by an appropriateamount.

In other embodiments, the grippers may be partially actuated in order toapproach the designated x/y locations with the grippers deployed asclosely as possible to the locations indicated on the interface. Theseembodiments may be useful in situations where the source bin isrelatively cluttered or full, and may allow for the gripper to approachthe target object as precisely as possible while avoiding neighboringobjects.

In some embodiments, the user may be provided with an interactiveelement on the interface to activate a “flutter” effect on theactuators. When the actuators are fluttered, they may rapidly partiallyactuate and de-actuate while approaching the grasp target, therebyallowing nearby objects to be moved out of the way as they approach thegrasp target. In some embodiments, the system may automatically flutterthe actuators, either as a matter of course or under certain conditions(e.g., when a cluttered environment is detected).

Furthermore, the user may be permitted to flutter the actuators whilethe actuators grasp a target object (e.g., while the actuators are incontact with the target, to slightly manipulate the object so that moreof the gripping surface is exposed). This motion may be followed by agripping action to acquire the object for transport out of the bin.

The above-described concept may be modified to suit other gripper types.For example, if a three- or four-actuator gripper is employed, thesystem may display an appropriate number of gripper targets in anappropriate configuration. Similar interactions to those described abovemay be used to set the gripper targets on the interface. For example,the user may initially place a haptic contact at a center location, andthen move their initial contact or place an additional contact to movethe gripper targets out from the center or in towards the center.Alternatively, or in addition, the user may tap at various locations onthe screen to indicate preferred locations for the gripper targets. Thesystem may determine a deployment configuration for the actuators thatis compatible with the physical constraints of the gripper but alsomatches the preferred locations as closely as possible.

In some embodiments, the interface may also include an interactiveelement allowing a user to designate a force to be applied to the grasptarget. For example, the system may pop up a force menu when the grippertargets are set. Alternatively, or in addition, the system may registera three-dimensional touch force on a haptic display, or may include aninput field allowing the grasp force to be specified. In anotherexample, a drop down menu may allow a user to set a grasp force to beapplied until changed.

The grasp force may be specified quantitatively (e.g., 10N) and/orqualitatively (e.g., low, medium, or high). In some embodiments, thegrasp force may be selected from among a predetermined set of possiblegrasp forces. In other embodiments, the grasp force may be specifiedwithin a predetermined range between the minimum grasp force and themaximum grasp force the gripper is capable of (or configured for)exerting.

The interface may also permit the user to queue different grasps. Forexample, upon specifying the gripper targets and/or selecting adestination icon to specify a destination for the target object (orotherwise finalizing the grasp), the robotic system may begin executingthe grasp. It may take some time for the robot to grasp the targetobject and move it to its destination. During the time that the robot isotherwise occupied, the user may interact with the interface in the samemanner as discussed above to indicate further gripper targets. After therobotic system delivers the initial target object to the destinationbin, the robotic system may continue to execute further grasps in theorder specified. Queues may be specified in other ways, as well.

When the robotic system is executing a grasp, the system may obscure theview of the source or destination bin due to the fact that the roboticarm may be present between the camera and the bin. As a result, the usermay not be able to see the camera view in order to queue new grippertargets. This problem may also arise in other situations, such as whenthe robotic system is executing a calibration routine. In order toaddress this problem, the system may be configured to capture an imageof the source or destination bins (e.g., at predetermined intervals, orjust before the robot executes a pick) while the robotic arm is out ofview of the camera. This image may then be used in the interface (eithertemporarily serving as the camera view, or serving as a ghost imagepartially superimposed on the current camera view while the robotic armobscures the view) to allow the user to continue to specify grippertargets while the robotic arm is in the way. The “ghosted” image alsoaids the user in identifying objects that moved, e.g., due to theprevious pick action of the gripper, because such objects may becomepartially transparent like the robotic arm. Objects that remainundisturbed and do not move may appear as normal, opaque objects in theuser interface.

In some embodiments, the system may allow a user to specify actuatorsequencing; this may be done before, during, or after the grippertargets are specified. For example, the order in which a two-fingergesture is executed may be the order in which the grippers are deployed.Alternatively, the user may specify gripper targets and then select oneof the gripper targets to specify the order in which the correspondingactuator should be deployed. When the robotic system approaches thegrasp target, the actuators may be actuated independently in thespecified order.

Further embodiments may allow for additional gestures to performspecified action. For example, a flicking gesture or some otherindication, may instruct the robotic system to rearrange an object ornudge the object out of the way. In another example, a user may draw acircle or execute another gesture on the interface, which may instructthe robotic system to stir the contents of the bin. Accordingly, targetobjects can be rearranged in order to expose buried objects, to reorienttarget objects to expose a more graspable surface, and/or to move atarget object away from a group of objects, a wall, or a corner of thesource bin.

In some embodiments, the user may define the path that the robotic armtakes in order to approach the target object. For example, the user mayinteract with the robotic system using a glove embedded with sensors, ora camera capable of three-dimensional motion tracking. The user may movetheir own arm along the path desired for the robotic arm. Thesensor(s)/camera may analyze the path of the user's arm and transmitsuitable instructions to the robotic arm defining a corresponding paththat the robotic arm should take on the way to the grasp target. Asimilar technique may be used to define the deployment order ofactuators, gripper force, etc.

If visualization systems and/or intelligence permit, the interface mayallow the user to select a recognized object using a tap or sustainedcontact. The user may drag the object to a designated target (e.g., atarget icon corresponding to a desired destination bin).

Further improvements in visualization systems are described in the nextsection.

C. Vision Systems

1. Calibration

Exemplary embodiments provide techniques for quickly calibrating eitheror both of the robotic system and the visualization system, includingthe cameras.

Typically, the source and destination bins are delivered to an area(e.g., on top of a conveyor belt) whose base is at a relatively fixedlocation in the horizontal direction (e.g., along the z-plane of anx-y-z coordinate system). This may simplify grasping tasks, because therobot can assume that target objects are likely somewhere between thebin base and the top of the bin. The robotic arm may then be dropped acertain distance before control is turned over to logic based on a rangefinder in the gripper that performs more fine control. Moreover, thesource and/or destination bins may be delivered to approximately thesame area each time; accordingly, the robotic system may have a generalawareness (e.g., within a certain range) of where in the x/y plane thebins may be located.

However, the robotic arm may occasionally fall out of calibration. Inorder to recalibrate the robotic arm, a calibration tool may be mountedto the gripper (e.g., a pointed rod for touching relatively preciselocations; see the modular gripper example below). The robotic systemmay be configured to make contact with predetermined calibrationelements in order to reset the robotic arm's understanding of thethree-dimensional space in which the robotic arm operates, e.g. in anx/y/z or Cartesian reference frame. The robotic arm may further berecalibrated by moving into a predetermined home position and/or usingvarious forms of range detection (e.g., a haptic contact sensor at theend of the calibration tool, a range sensor, etc.). Various sensorsdeployed in connection with the robotic system (e.g., the range sensor)may also be recalibrated during this process.

In order to perform recalibration, the bins deployed to thepick-and-place station 220 may be provided with a calibration sheet 402in a predetermined location, for example, at the bottom of a bin 404 asshown in FIG. 4A.

Instead of being blank, a calibration sheet 410 may include apredetermined pattern of visual elements, as shown, for example, in FIG.4B. The robotic system may be configured to use the camera image and/orone or more sensors to cause the calibration tool to contact the visualelements in sequence in order to recalibrate the x-, y-, and/orz-positioning of the robotic system. In the illustrated example, therobotic system may move the calibration tool to points P₁, P₂, P₃, andP₄ in sequence.

The system may perform a calibration check at a variety of intervalsusing a target located at a common way point/safe height position forthe robot. Accordingly, the range sensor may be checked against a targetat a known distance (single height check) from a robot position (e.g.,at the start of every pick cycle, or after a set interval of pickcycles, or after a difficult pick attempt, such as an attempt wheregripping retries were executed) to verify that the range sensor isreading within a prescribed tolerance band. Similarly, a periodic singleheight range sensor check may be used to verify there is no foreignobject present, e.g. debris blocking or affecting the range sensoraccuracy.

If an anomaly is observed in the range sensor reading, the robot maymove to a gripper cleaning position at a station within the workenvelope of the robot that provides an external gripper cleaning. Forexample, the station may provide a blow off function (e.g. an air puffplus vacuum) and a target-to-range sense to confirm the sensorprotective cover is cleaned off. Failure to fix the issue by cleaningthe sensor protective cover may indicate some type of sensor malfunctionor drift, allowing a repair or maintenance technician to catch the issuebefore failed attempts are made at picking objects. The cleaningposition may also, or alternatively, be the position above which therobot parks before or after a pick cycle, where the range sensor checkis repeatedly performed.

According to some embodiments, the calibration patterns may also, oralternatively, be used to calibrate or canonicalize the camera(s) orvisualization systems. For example, the bins may not necessarily bedelivered to the pick station perfectly oriented—new bins may be skewedby various amounts each time they are delivered to the station.

Because it may be difficult for a user to interact with a system inwhich the view of the bins appears differently each time, the camera mayuse the calibration pattern and/or other cues (e.g., the edges of thebins as detected by edge detection software) in order to manipulate theview (e.g., skewing or reorienting portions or all of the image) inorder to offer a standardized or canonical perspective. The system maycanonicalize the view on a regular basis, upon the occurrence ofpredetermined events (e.g., when a new bin is delivered to thepick-and-place station, or after each object picking by the gripper),and/or based on a command from the user.

2. 3D Locating

Robotic systems move in a three-dimensional space, so detecting thatmovement relative to grasp targets and place locations may be important.Some embodiments may include a depth camera capable of measuring thethree-dimensional location and shape of objects in the camera field ofview. Other embodiments, such as the exemplary embodiment describedbelow, may instead use a two-dimensional camera with improvements tosupport three-dimensional locating and robotic control while stillobtaining acceptable three-dimensional grasp results.

When a two-dimensional camera provides a top-down view from a centrallocation, the camera may provide an estimate of an x/y location at whichan object is located but may not be able to localize the object in thez-direction. An example of a top-down image captured by a centralizedcamera is shown in FIG. 4C, which shows a bin 404 and a top-down view ofan object 420.

The illustrated view of the object 420 may be the result of a relativelytall object located close to the camera, or a relatively short objectlocated further away from the camera, as shown in a side view in FIG.4D.

In this example, a vector 442 drawn from the camera lens 422 to the topof the object 420 passes through both the relatively close location 444(having a relatively large height in the z-plane) and the relatively farlocation 446 (having a relatively small height in the z-plane). With atwo-dimensional camera system, it may not be possible to determine fromthe image alone whether the object 420 is relatively tall and locatedclose to the camera (420-1) or is relatively short and located far fromthe camera (420-2).

Accordingly, if the system attempts to make a guess as to the precisex/y location of the target object and the robotic arm approaches theobject from directly above the guessed location, it is possible that therobotic arm will drop towards the object but have nothing below thegripper to grasp (as demonstrated by the gripper representations 434-1directly above the target object 420-1, and gripper 434-2 above targetobject 420-2 in FIG. 4D).

In order to avoid this problem, the robotic arm may instead approach theobject along the vector 442 drawn from the camera 422 to the targetobject (as shown by the angled gripper representation 448 in FIG. 4D).This may be accomplished, for example, based on the x/y position of thegripper targets 328 and/or center point 324 as designated in theinterface, and a known location of the camera relative to the grippertargets and/or center point.

This approach ensures that the gripper will eventually approach thetarget object, regardless of the target object's height. A rangedetector in the robotic arm may detect a range to the target object, andactuate the actuators when it is detected that the target object is inrange of at least the tips of the actuators.

In some cases, it may be difficult to obtain an accurate range based onthe range sensor. For example, many range sensors work by transmittingelectromagnetic waves toward a target object and receiving the reflectedwaves back at a sensor. However, some objects scatter electromagneticwaves, making it difficult to achieve an accurate range reading.

Accordingly, the robotic system may lower the grasper until the rangesensor indicates that the grasp target is within reach. This mayrepresent a first predetermined drop/approach distance. The system maythen attempt to grasp the object by actuating the actuators. If one ormore sensors (e.g., contact sensors such as a contact-sensitive skin inthe actuators, force detection sensors, the camera, etc.) detect thatthe object has not been sufficiently grasped (e.g., the object is notheld by the actuators, or the object is not held with sufficient force),the robotic system may descend by a predetermined amount from the firstpredetermined drop distance and try again. This process may be repeateduntil a sufficient grasp is achieved, or until the attempt is aborted(e.g., after a predetermined number of failed attempts). Thepredetermined drop distance and predetermined amount of descent may beautomatically or manually reconfigured.

In some embodiments, other parameters may also, or alternatively, beadjusted. For example, the system may adapt the force applied to thetarget object based on the grasp quality (when grasp quality is detectedto be poor, the system may apply increased force by supplying furtherinflation fluid to the actuators, and vice versa).

Typically, the system will attempt to grasp the object as specified bythe user in the interface. For example, the system may rotate thegripper base to deploy the actuators at the angle and/or distance asspecified for the gripper targets in the interface. However, thisbehavior may be overridden in certain conditions.

For example, the system may adapt the grasp location based on graspquality. If the sensors and/or camera detect a poor grip, the grippermay be rotated and/or translated in an attempt to grab a longer orotherwise more graspable surface of the target object. In anotherexample, the system may alter the rotation of the gripper and/or grasplocation to avoid collision with the bin or neighboring objects. Thesystem may adapt the gripper differently depending on the particulartype of collision to be avoided. For example, when approaching the sideof a bin, the gripper may reorient itself so as to deploy the axis ofthe actuators either parallel or at a ninety-degree angle to the side ofthe bin. This determination may be made depending on the configurationof the object to be retrieved. On the other hand, when approaching thecorner of the bin, the system may orient the gripper so that oneactuator approaches the corner while another is disposed towards theinterior of the bin. Other approaches and/or configurations are alsopossible.

In some cases, the pick may be aborted altogether if the systemdetermines that a collision with the side of the bin is inevitableand/or if the user requests that the robotic arm deploy the gripper to alocation outside the walls of the bin or to some other off-limitslocation.

In some embodiments, the robotic gripper may be mounted on a telescopingor fixed rod to reduce the diameter of the robotic arm in the vicinityof the rod. The system may manipulate the path at which the gripperapproaches the target object so that the reduced-diameter portion is inthe vicinity of the bin edge at given points along the path. In thisway, the gripper may be able to approach target objects in relativelyconfined environments that may not be possible without the use of therod.

3. Vision Hardware

Further embodiments provide improvements in vision hardware for roboticsystems. Many range finding sensors employ a transmitter/receiver pair,in which a signal (e.g., an electromagnetic signal, such as a radio waveor beam of infrared light) is transmitted, bounced off an object, andthen received.

For example, a range sensor may be mounted in a hub of a roboticgripper, as shown in FIG. 5A (where the actuators 502 are present in atthe left and right, the rectangular bottom portion represents the hub504, and the dotted lines 506 represent electromagnetic energytransmitted from the transmitter 508 a and received at the receiver 508b).

When exposed to real-world use, the range sensor may become obscured bydirt or damaged by objects in the environment. Accordingly, in order toprotect the range sensor and/or facilitate cleaning, the range sensormay be covered by a layer 510 of transmissive material, such as glass orplastic.

However, a problem may arise in that the covering layer 510 may not befully transparent to the electromagnetic energy transmitted by thetransmitter. Accordingly, the energy from the transmitter may bereflected back by the covering layer and may be received at thereceiver, resulting in erroneous range readings, as shown by line 507 inFIG. 5B.

In order to alleviate this problem, a barrier 512 may be placed betweenthe transmitter and receiver. The barrier 512 may be made of anysuitable material that will block the energy from the transmitter andprevent the energy from being received at the receiver. The scale inFIG. 5B is exaggerated for illustration purposes.

The barrier may be, for example, of a one-piece or two-piece design foruse on emitter/receiver type range sensors. In either case, the designsprimarily provide a separation barrier between the emitter and receiverobjectives or apertures on the sensor. In some embodiments, the barriermay span the entire gap between the sensor outer surface and the innersurface of the protective cover; in other embodiments, the barrier mayspan part of the gap.

In the case of a two-piece design, a barrier shape that surrounds theouter perimeter of the sensor may be attached around the sensor, and amatching barrier shape with the addition of a dividing rib or wallaligned to fit between the emitter and receiver of the range sensor maybe adhered to the protective cover. When the protective cover is theninstalled with the two barrier elements in place, the range sensoreffectively becomes boxed in and protected from scatteredelectromagnetic radiation, and has a barrier in place to separate andisolate the emitter and receiver objectives from each other.

An example of a barrier suitable for use with exemplary embodiments isdepicted in FIGS. 5C and 5D. As shown in FIG. 5C, the barrier mayinclude two parts below the covering, one part 520 provided to fit thearound the outer edges of the sensor and to support a second part 522,which provides the barrier in a precise location relative to the sensortransmitter and receiver. FIG. 5C shows the two parts in isolation,whereas FIG. 5D shows one part deployed on a robotic hub and surroundinga range sensor 524. The other part 522 mates with the first part 520 andpositions the barrier appropriately.

Using the exemplary barrier, the range detector may be protected fromenvironmental factors while nonetheless exhibiting increased detectionaccuracy.

D. Gripper Configuration

Still further embodiments may include a modular gripper that is capableof being quickly swapped out (either entirely, or specific parts) foranother suitable modular gripper. This may allow, for example, forgrippers to be swapped for others with different configurations ofelectronics and/or actuators.

FIGS. 6A-6D show different perspective views of an assembled modulargripper 600. As shown in the front perspective view of FIG. 6A, thegripper 600 may include one or more ports 602 for supplying and/orremoving inflation fluid to the actuators and for supplying electricaland/or data connections to sensors or processors. In some embodiments,different ports may feed different actuators such that the actuators areactuatable independently. One or more pneumatic or hydraulic lines maybe attached to the ports in order to supply the inflation fluid to thegripper

Note also, in the bottom view of FIG. 6D, that the modular gripper 600may include mounting points 604 for sensors, such as range sensors.

The modular gripper 600 may be disassembled so that one or all piecesmay be swapped, repaired, or replaced. FIG. 6E shows the modular gripper600 of FIG. 6A when disassembled. The rod of FIG. 6E is a calibrationtool 610, as mentioned in previous sections, which may be mounted to ahub base part 622 in place of the actuator assembly 624.

The pieces depicted may be secured by a combination of fricton and/orfastening mechanisms, such as screws. To assemble the pieces, the hubbase 622 may be secured to the robotic arm via a mount 626, as depictedin FIG. 6L; see also FIGS. 6J (side view) and 6K (internal view). Afront support 628 and a rear support 630 may be slid into correspondingslots in the hub base 622. The actuator base 632 may be attached to thebottom of the assembly, e.g. to one or more of the hub base 622, frontsupport 628, or the rear support 630, through screws or a quick-releasefitting.

According to some embodiments, the hub base 622 may be configured toremain attached to a wrist flange of the robotic arm when other piecesof the modular gripper is/are removed, swapped, or reconfigured.Therefore, the gripper can be easily reconfigured without affecting thealignment of the gripper to the robotic arm.

Similarly, the hub base 622 may also provide an attachment provision forthe robot calibration rod 620, which can be installed and removedwithout impacting the alignment of the gripper to the robot. This is dueto the fact that the gripper is removed from the mounting structurewhile the calibration rod is installed, and then the gripper isre-installed into specially-configured grooves with alignment andlocking features (or other elements) that allow the gripper to beaccurately and repeatedly installed.

The modular design of the gripper allows various combinations of sidepanels (allowing for different controls connections) and even overallgripper designs to be installed on the same mounting structure, and alsoallows for grippers with different sensing, internal electronics, andeven different actuator arrangements to be installed while preservingthe same alignment to the robot wrist.

Any or all of the components may be swapped with components having adifferent configuration. For example, the actuator base may be swappedfor a different acutator base having a different type of sensor, whilestill maintaining the rest of the modular gripper components. In anotherexample, a new actuator base having a different number and/orarrangmenet of actuators may be swapped in, and a different frontsupport having different inlet and/or outlet ports may also be swappedin to provide for independent actuation of the actuators.

III. COMPUTING SYSTEM AND NETWORK IMPLEMENTATION

The above-described techniques may be embodied as instructions on anon-transitory computer readable medium or as part of a computingarchitecture. FIG. 7 illustrates an embodiment of an exemplary computingarchitecture 700 suitable for implementing various embodiments aspreviously described. In one embodiment, the computing architecture 700may comprise or be implemented as part of an electronic device, such asa computer 701. The embodiments are not limited in this context.

As used in this application, the terms “system” and “component” areintended to refer to a computer-related entity, either hardware, acombination of hardware and software, software, or software inexecution, examples of which are provided by the exemplary computingarchitecture 700. For example, a component can be, but is not limited tobeing, a process running on a processor, a processor, a hard disk drive,multiple storage drives (of optical and/or magnetic storage medium), anobject, an executable, a thread of execution, a program, and/or acomputer. By way of illustration, both an application running on aserver and the server can be a component. One or more components canreside within a process and/or thread of execution, and a component canbe localized on one computer and/or distributed between two or morecomputers. Further, components may be communicatively coupled to eachother by various types of communications media to coordinate operations.The coordination may involve the uni-directional or bi-directionalexchange of information. For instance, the components may communicateinformation in the form of signals communicated over the communicationsmedia. The information can be implemented as signals allocated tovarious signal lines. In such allocations, each message is a signal.Further embodiments, however, may Alternatively, employ data messages.Such data messages may be sent across various connections. Exemplaryconnections include parallel interfaces, serial interfaces, and businterfaces.

The computing architecture 700 includes various common computingelements, such as one or more processors, multi-core processors,co-processors, memory units, chipsets, controllers, peripherals,interfaces, oscillators, timing devices, video cards, audio cards,multimedia input/output (I/O) components, power supplies, and so forth.The embodiments, however, are not limited to implementation by thecomputing architecture 700.

As shown in FIG. 7, the computing architecture 700 comprises aprocessing unit 702, a system memory 704 and a system bus 706. Theprocessing unit 702 can be any of various commercially availableprocessors, including without limitation an AMD® Athlon®, Duron® andOpteron® processors; ARM® application, embedded and secure processors;IBM® and Motorola® DragonBall® and PowerPC® processors; IBM and Sony®Cell processors; Intel® Celeron®, Core (2) Duo®, Itanium®, Pentium®,Xeon®, and XScale® processors; and similar processors. Dualmicroprocessors, multi-core processors, and other multi-processorarchitectures may also be employed as the processing unit 702.

The system bus 706 provides an interface for system componentsincluding, but not limited to, the system memory 704 to the processingunit 702. The system bus 706 can be any of several types of busstructure that may further interconnect to a memory bus (with or withouta memory controller), a peripheral bus, and a local bus using any of avariety of commercially available bus architectures. Interface adaptersmay connect to the system bus 706 via a slot architecture. Example slotarchitectures may include without limitation Accelerated Graphics Port(AGP), Card Bus, (Extended) Industry Standard Architecture ((E)ISA),Micro Channel Architecture (MCA), NuBus, Peripheral ComponentInterconnect (Extended) (PCI(X)), PCI Express, Personal Computer MemoryCard International Association (PCMCIA), and the like.

The computing architecture 700 may comprise or implement variousarticles of manufacture. An article of manufacture may comprise acomputer-readable storage medium to store logic. Examples of acomputer-readable storage medium may include any tangible media capableof storing electronic data, including volatile memory or non-volatilememory, removable or non-removable memory, erasable or non-erasablememory, writeable or re-writeable memory, and so forth. Examples oflogic may include executable computer program instructions implementedusing any suitable type of code, such as source code, compiled code,interpreted code, executable code, static code, dynamic code,object-oriented code, visual code, and the like. Embodiments may also beat least partly implemented as instructions contained in or on anon-transitory computer-readable medium, which may be read and executedby one or more processors to enable performance of the operationsdescribed herein.

The system memory 704 may include various types of computer-readablestorage media in the form of one or more higher speed memory units, suchas read-only memory (ROM), random-access memory (RAM), dynamic RAM(DRAM), Double-Data-Rate DRAM (DDRAM), synchronous DRAM (SDRAM), staticRAM (SRAM), programmable ROM (PROM), erasable programmable ROM (EPROM),electrically erasable programmable ROM (EEPROM), flash memory, polymermemory such as ferroelectric polymer memory, ovonic memory, phase changeor ferroelectric memory, silicon-oxide-nitride-oxide-silicon (SONOS)memory, magnetic or optical cards, an array of devices such as RedundantArray of Independent Disks (RAID) drives, solid state memory devices(e.g., USB memory, solid state drives (SSD) and any other type ofstorage media suitable for storing information. In the illustratedembodiment shown in FIG. 7, the system memory 704 can includenon-volatile memory 708 and/or volatile memory 710. A basic input/outputsystem (BIOS) can be stored in the non-volatile memory 708.

The computing architecture 700 may include various types ofcomputer-readable storage media in the form of one or more lower speedmemory units, including an internal (or external) hard disk drive (HDD)712, a magnetic floppy disk drive (FDD) 714 to read from or write to aremovable magnetic disk 716, and an optical disk drive 718 to read fromor write to a removable optical disk 720 (e.g., a CD-ROM or DVD). TheHDD 712, FDD 714 and optical disk drive 720 can be connected to thesystem bus 706 by an HDD interface 722, an FDD interface 724 and anoptical drive interface 726, respectively. The HDD interface 722 forexternal drive implementations can include at least one or both ofUniversal Serial Bus (USB) and IEEE 694 interface technologies.

The drives and associated computer-readable media provide volatileand/or nonvolatile storage of data, data structures, computer-executableinstructions, and so forth. For example, a number of program modules canbe stored in the drives and memory units 708, 712, including anoperating system 728, one or more application programs 730, otherprogram modules 732, and program data 734. In one embodiment, the one ormore application programs 730, other program modules 732, and programdata 734 can include, for example, the various applications and/orcomponents of the communication system 500.

A user can enter commands and information into the computer 701 throughone or more wire/wireless input devices, for example, a keyboard 736 anda pointing device, such as a mouse 738. Other input devices may includemicrophones, infra-red (IR) remote controls, radio-frequency (RF) remotecontrols, game pads, stylus pens, card readers, dongles, finger printreaders, gloves, graphics tablets, joysticks, keyboards, retina readers,touch screens (e.g., capacitive, resistive, etc.), trackballs,trackpads, sensors, styluses, and the like. These and other inputdevices are often connected to the processing unit 702 through an inputdevice interface 740 that is coupled to the system bus 706, but can beconnected by other interfaces such as a parallel port, IEEE 694 serialport, a game port, a USB port, an IR interface, and so forth.

A monitor 742 or other type of display device is also connected to thesystem bus 706 via an interface, such as a video adaptor 744. Themonitor 742 may be internal or external to the computer 701. In additionto the monitor 742, a computer typically includes other peripheraloutput devices, such as speakers, printers, and so forth.

The computer 701 may operate in a networked environment using logicalconnections via wire and/or wireless communications to one or moreremote computers, such as a remote computer 744. The remote computer 744can be a workstation, a server computer, a router, a personal computer,portable computer, microprocessor-based entertainment appliance, a peerdevice or other common network node, and typically includes many or allof the elements described relative to the computer 701, although, forpurposes of brevity, only a memory/storage device 746 is illustrated.The logical connections depicted include wire/wireless connectivity to alocal area network (LAN) 748 and/or larger networks, for example, a widearea network (WAN) 750. Such LAN and WAN networking environments arecommonplace in offices and companies, and facilitate enterprise-widecomputer networks, such as intranets, all of which may connect to aglobal communications network, for example, the Internet.

When used in a LAN networking environment, the computer 701 is connectedto the LAN 748 through a wire and/or wireless communication networkinterface or adaptor 752. The adaptor 752 can facilitate wire and/orwireless communications to the LAN 748, which may also include awireless access point disposed thereon for communicating with thewireless functionality of the adaptor 752.

When used in a WAN networking environment, the computer 701 can includea modem 754, or is connected to a communications server on the WAN 750,or has other means for establishing communications over the WAN 750,such as by way of the Internet. The modem 754, which can be internal orexternal and a wire and/or wireless device, connects to the system bus706 via the input device interface 740. In a networked environment,program modules depicted relative to the computer 701, or portionsthereof, can be stored in the remote memory/storage device 746. It willbe appreciated that the network connections shown are exemplary andother means of establishing a communications link between the computerscan be used.

The computer 701 is operable to communicate with wire and wirelessdevices or entities using the IEEE 802 family of standards, such aswireless devices operatively disposed in wireless communication (e.g.,IEEE 802.13 over-the-air modulation techniques). This includes at leastWi-Fi (or Wireless Fidelity), WiMax, and Bluetooth™ wirelesstechnologies, among others. Thus, the communication can be a predefinedstructure as with a conventional network or simply an ad hoccommunication between at least two devices. Wi-Fi networks use radiotechnologies called IEEE 802.13x (a, b, g, n, etc.) to provide secure,reliable, fast wireless connectivity. A Wi-Fi network can be used toconnect computers to each other, to the Internet, and to wire networks(which use IEEE 802.3-related media and functions).

FIG. 8 is a block diagram depicting an exemplary communicationsarchitecture 800 suitable for implementing various embodiments aspreviously described. The communications architecture 800 includesvarious common communications elements, such as a transmitter, receiver,transceiver, radio, network interface, baseband processor, antenna,amplifiers, filters, power supplies, and so forth. The embodiments,however, are not limited to implementation by the communicationsarchitecture 800.

As shown in FIG. 8, the communications architecture 800 includes one ormore clients 802 and servers 804. The clients 802 may implement theclient device 510. The servers 804 may implement the server device 526.The clients 802 and the servers 804 are operatively connected to one ormore respective client data stores 806 and server data stores 808 thatcan be employed to store information local to the respective clients 802and servers 804, such as cookies and/or associated contextualinformation.

The clients 802 and the servers 804 may communicate information betweeneach other using a communication framework 810. The communicationsframework 810 may implement any well-known communications techniques andprotocols. The communications framework 810 may be implemented as apacket-switched network (e.g., public networks such as the Internet,private networks such as an enterprise intranet, and so forth), acircuit-switched network (e.g., the public switched telephone network),or a combination of a packet-switched network and a circuit-switchednetwork (with suitable gateways and translators).

The communications framework 810 may implement various networkinterfaces arranged to accept, communicate, and connect to acommunications network. A network interface may be regarded as aspecialized form of an input output interface. Network interfaces mayemploy connection protocols including without limitation direct connect,Ethernet (e.g., thick, thin, twisted pair 10/100/1000 Base T, and thelike), token ring, wireless network interfaces, cellular networkinterfaces, IEEE 802.8a-x network interfaces, IEEE 802.16 networkinterfaces, IEEE 802.20 network interfaces, and the like. Further,multiple network interfaces may be used to engage with variouscommunications network types. For example, multiple network interfacesmay be employed to allow for the communication over broadcast,multicast, and unicast networks. Should processing requirements dictatea greater amount speed and capacity, distributed network controllerarchitectures may similarly be employed to pool, load balance, andotherwise increase the communicative bandwidth required by clients 802and the servers 804. A communications network may be any one and thecombination of wired and/or wireless networks including withoutlimitation a direct interconnection, a secured custom connection, aprivate network (e.g., an enterprise intranet), a public network (e.g.,the Internet), a Personal Area Network (PAN), a Local Area Network(LAN), a Metropolitan Area Network (MAN), an Operating Missions as Nodeson the Internet (OMNI), a Wide Area Network (WAN), a wireless network, acellular network, and other communications networks.

IV. GENERAL NOTES ON TERMINOLOGY

Some embodiments may be described using the expression “one embodiment”or “an embodiment” along with their derivatives. These terms mean that aparticular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connectionwith the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment. Theappearances of the phrase “in one embodiment” in various places in thespecification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment.Moreover, unless otherwise noted the features described above arerecognized to be usable together in any combination. Thus, any featuresdiscussed separately may be employed in combination with each otherunless it is noted that the features are incompatible with each other.

With general reference to notations and nomenclature used herein, thedetailed descriptions herein may be presented in terms of programprocedures executed on a computer or network of computers. Theseprocedural descriptions and representations are used by those skilled inthe art to most effectively convey the substance of their work to othersskilled in the art.

A procedure is here, and generally, conceived to be a self-consistentsequence of operations leading to a desired result. These operations arethose requiring physical manipulations of physical quantities. Usually,though not necessarily, these quantities take the form of electrical,magnetic or optical signals capable of being stored, transferred,combined, compared, and otherwise manipulated. It proves convenient attimes, principally for reasons of common usage, to refer to thesesignals as bits, values, elements, symbols, characters, terms, numbers,or the like. It should be noted, however, that all of these and similarterms are to be associated with the appropriate physical quantities andare merely convenient labels applied to those quantities.

Further, the manipulations performed are often referred to in terms,such as adding or comparing, which are commonly associated with mentaloperations performed by a human operator. No such capability of a humanoperator is necessary, or desirable in most cases, in any of theoperations described herein, which form part of one or more embodiments.Rather, the operations are machine operations. Useful machines forperforming operations of various embodiments include general purposedigital computers or similar devices.

Some embodiments may be described using the expression “coupled” and“connected” along with their derivatives. These terms are notnecessarily intended as synonyms for each other. For example, someembodiments may be described using the terms “connected” and/or“coupled” to indicate that two or more elements are in direct physicalor electrical contact with each other. The term “coupled,” however, mayalso mean that two or more elements are not in direct contact with eachother, but yet still co-operate or interact with each other.

Various embodiments also relate to apparatus or systems for performingthese operations. This apparatus may be specially constructed for therequired purpose or it may comprise a general purpose computer asselectively activated or reconfigured by a computer program stored inthe computer. The procedures presented herein are not inherently relatedto a particular computer or other apparatus. Various general purposemachines may be used with programs written in accordance with theteachings herein, or it may prove convenient to construct morespecialized apparatus to perform the required method steps. The requiredstructure for a variety of these machines will appear from thedescription given.

It is emphasized that the Abstract of the Disclosure is provided toallow a reader to quickly ascertain the nature of the technicaldisclosure. It is submitted with the understanding that it will not beused to interpret or limit the scope or meaning of the claims. Inaddition, in the foregoing Detailed Description, it can be seen thatvarious features are grouped together in a single embodiment for thepurpose of streamlining the disclosure. This method of disclosure is notto be interpreted as reflecting an intention that the claimedembodiments require more features than are expressly recited in eachclaim. Rather, as the following claims reflect, inventive subject matterlies in less than all features of a single disclosed embodiment. Thusthe following claims are hereby incorporated into the DetailedDescription, with each claim standing on its own as a separateembodiment. In the appended claims, the terms “including” and “in which”are used as the plain-English equivalents of the respective terms“comprising” and “wherein,” respectively. Moreover, the terms “first,”“second,” “third,” and so forth, are used merely as labels, and are notintended to impose numerical requirements on their objects.

What has been described above includes examples of the disclosedarchitecture. It is, of course, not possible to describe everyconceivable combination of components and/or methodologies, but one ofordinary skill in the art may recognize that many further combinationsand permutations are possible. Accordingly, the novel architecture isintended to embrace all such alterations, modifications and variationsthat fall within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

V. CONCLUSION

Any or all of the above-described techniques may be implemented bysuitable logic stored on a non-transitory computer-readable medium. Whenexecuted by one or more processors, the logic may cause the processorsto perform the techniques identified above. The logic may be implementedfully or partially in hardware. The logic may be included as part of acontroller for controlling the actuation, de-actuation, movement,position, etc. of a soft robotic actuator and/or a soft robotic systememploying one or more actuators in a gripper arrangement.

What is claimed is:
 1. A non-transitory computer-readable mediumcomprising instructions that, when executed, cause an apparatus to:receive sensor information from a remote sensor of a robotic system;present the sensor information in a user interface on a display of theapparatus; present one or more interactive elements in the userinterface; receive a command control directive on one of the one or moreinteractive elements; and transmit a control command to the roboticsystem according to the command control directive.
 2. The non-transitorycomputer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the control directivecomprises a touch gesture received on a touch-sensitive display.
 3. Thenon-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 1, comprisinginstructions to present a view from a camera in a pick and place stationof the robotic system.
 4. The non-transitory computer-readable medium ofclaim 1, comprising instructions to receive sensor information from aplurality of sensors from a plurality of robotic systems.
 5. Thenon-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 4, comprisinginstructions to receive a control directive to present different sensorinformation from a different one of the plurality of sensors in the userinterface.
 6. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 5,wherein the control directive to present the different sensorinformation comprises a selection of an interactive element on thedisplay.
 7. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 5,comprising instructions to send a control command to the different oneof the plurality of robotic systems when a second command controldirective is received.
 8. The non-transitory computer-readable medium ofclaim 4, comprising instructions to present the sensor information fromthe plurality of sensors concurrently on one display.
 9. Thenon-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein theinteractive elements comprise interactive elements representing at leastone of: a configuration operation; a calibration operation; a graspingoperation; a force-setting operation; a flutter operation; a rearrangingoperation; an actuator sequencing operation; a moving operation; anobject selection operation; or a stirring operation.
 10. Thenon-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the controldirective comprises receiving a touch at a location on a touch-sensitivedisplay of the apparatus and a drag operation to change an orientationof the remote sensor.
 11. The non-transitory computer-readable medium ofclaim 1, comprising instructions to: present a camera view ofdestination locations on the display; receive a control directiveindicating a location in the view of destination locations; and transmita control command comprising an instruction to move to the indicatedlocation to the robotic system.
 12. The non-transitory computer-readablemedium of claim 11, the control command further comprising aninstruction to release a grasped object at the indicated location. 13.The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 11, comprisinginstructions to: receive a series of control directives indicating aplurality of target locations in a pattern at the indicated destinationlocation; and transmit a control command to the robotic system toinitiate placing target objects in the target locations in the pattern.14. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 1, comprisinginstructions to: display a camera view of a source bin containing targetobjects; receive a control directive on the interface indicating whichof the target objects to grasp; and transmitting a control command tograsp the indicated target object.
 15. The non-transitorycomputer-readable medium of claim 14, comprising instructions to:receive a series of control directives indicating a plurality of targetobjects in an order; and transmit a control command to the roboticsystem to initiate grasping of the target objects in the order.
 16. Thenon-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 1, comprisinginstructions to: present a gripper user interface (UI) element on theinterface that indicates: an axis of alignment of a gripper andrepresentations of at least two gripper targets separated by a distancealong the axis, wherein the at least two gripper targets are associatedwith at least two actuators in the robotic system.
 17. Thenon-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 16, comprisinginstructions to: present the gripper UI element in conjunction with acamera view of the robotic system; receive a control directive to atleast one of: move the gripper UI element to a different location in theinterface, rotate the axis, or change the distance between the at leasttwo gripper targets.
 18. The non-transitory computer-readable medium ofclaim 16, comprising instructions to: present representations in thegripper UI elements of at least one of: a center line at a midpointbetween the at least two gripper targets, a maximum extent of the atleast two gripper targets, a minimum extent of the at least two grippertargets, or a quantitative indication of the distance between the atleast two gripper targets.
 19. The non-transitory computer-readablemedium of claim 16, comprising instructions to: receive a first controldirective at a first location on the user interface; place arepresentation of a first one of the at least two gripper targets on thefirst location; receive a second control directive at a second locationon the user interface; place a representation of a second one of the atleast two gripper targets on the second location; present the axis inalignment with the first and second locations; and transmit a controlcommand to the robotic system to move and align the at least twoactuators according to the first and second locations and the axis. 20.The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 16, comprisinginstructions to: receive a first control directive at a first locationon the user interface; place a representation of a center point on thefirst location; receive a second control directive at a second locationon the user interface, the first and second locations separated by afirst distance; place a representation of a first one of the at leasttwo gripper targets on the second location; present the axis inalignment with the first and second locations; place a representation ofa second one of the at least two gripper targets on the axis on anopposite side of the center point from the second location; and transmita control command to the robotic system to move and align the at leasttwo actuators according to the first and second locations and the axis.21. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 1, comprisingreceiving a selection of a force-setting operation and transmitting aforce-setting command the robotic system.
 22. The non-transitorycomputer-readable medium of claim 21, wherein the selection of aforce-setting operation comprises a selection of a force to be appliedto a grasp target.
 23. The non-transitory computer-readable medium ofclaim 22, wherein the selection of the force comprises one or more of: aselection from a menu, a three-dimensional touch force on a hapticdisplay, an entry in an input field.
 24. The non-transitorycomputer-readable medium of claim 22, wherein a selected force isspecified quantitatively, qualitatively, from a predetermined set ofpossible grasp forces, or from a predetermined range between the minimumgrasp force and the maximum grasp force of the gripper.
 25. Thenon-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 1, comprisinginstructions to: receive a control directive defining athree-dimensional path; and transmit a command instruction to therobotic system to move a robotic arm according to the three-dimensionalpath.